Vehicle systems include numerous sensors for sensing various environmental parameters. Such parameters may include temperature, humidity, pressure, etc, and may thus be monitored via temperature sensors, humidity sensors, and pressure sensors, respectively. In some examples, a vehicle system may further include automotive ultrasonic sensors, which may be utilized in conjunction with advanced driver assistance systems, including parking assist features. Other examples may include oxygen sensors which may measure an amount of oxygen in a gas or liquid being analyzed.
As vehicle systems include numerous sensors, it is desirable to regularly calibrate or compensate such sensors. Regular calibration of vehicle sensors may increase a lifetime of said sensors, and may improve various vehicle functions that rely on said sensors.
However, calibrating a wide variety of vehicle sensors may be challenging throughout the lifetime of a vehicle. The inventors herein have recognized such issues, and have developed systems and method to address them. In one example, a method is provided, comprising calibrating a sensor coupled to a vehicle and configured to monitor an environmental parameter, and updating an operating parameter of an engine configured to propel the vehicle, based on a source of one or more weather devices positioned external to, and removed from, the vehicle, where the source of the one or more weather devices includes a high, medium, or low confidence level in the source. In this way, a vehicle sensor may be calibrated based on a confidence level of external data, which may enable calibration throughout the lifetime of the vehicle.
As an example, the source comprising the high confidence level may include an end of a vehicle assembly line where the vehicle is being assembled, or a dealership of the same make as the vehicle. The source comprising the medium confidence level may include a personal home of an operator of the vehicle. The source comprising the low confidence level source may include a facility or location equipped with the one or more weather devices not including the end of the vehicle assembly line, the dealership of the same make as the vehicle, or the personal home of the operator of the vehicle. Furthermore, crowd-sourced data from a plurality of the weather devices may comprise either the high confidence level, the medium confidence level, or the low confidence level.
As another example, the method mentioned above may include calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the high confidence level and further responsive to an indication that a sensor value of the environmental parameter is beyond a first threshold difference from a weather device value corresponding to the environmental parameter. Alternatively, the method may include calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the medium confidence level and further responsive to an indication that the sensor value of the environmental parameter is beyond a second threshold difference from the weather device value corresponding to the environmental parameter. In still another example, the method may include calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the low confidence level and further responsive to an indication that the sensor value of the environmental parameter is beyond a third threshold difference from the weather device value corresponding to the same environmental parameter. In such examples, it may be understood that the first threshold difference may be smaller than the second threshold difference, which may be smaller than the third threshold difference.
In such examples as discussed above, the sensor may include one or more of an outside air temperature sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, or an external humidity sensor positioned external to a cabin of the vehicle.
As yet another example, the method discussed above may include calibrating one of an ultrasonic sensor and/or an oxygen sensor positioned in an exhaust manifold of the engine. In such examples, the method may include calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the high confidence level. In another example, the method may include calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the medium confidence level and further responsive to an indication that a first threshold duration has not elapsed since a prior calibration of the sensor via the high confidence level weather device. In still another example, the method may include not calibrating the sensor responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprise the low confidence level.
In another example, the method may include updating the operating parameter responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the high confidence level. In other example, the method may include updating the operating parameter responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the medium confidence level and further responsive to an indication that a second threshold duration has not elapsed since updating the operating parameter via the source comprising the high confidence level. In still another example, the method may include not updating the operating parameter responsive to an indication that the source of the one or more weather devices comprises the low confidence level.
In still another example updating the operating parameter may include one of at least updating a barometric pressure model that the engine utilizes as input to control the engine, adjusting an amount of air intake into the engine, adjusting a timing of spark provided to one or more cylinders of the engine, and/or adjusting an amount of engine exhaust gas recirculation.
In a final example, the one or more weather devices may be communicatively coupled to at least an internet, and calibrating the sensor and updating vehicle operating parameters may further comprise sending a wireless signal from a controller of the vehicle to the one or more weather devices, and receiving one or more measurements of environmental data communicated from the one or more weather devices to the controller of the vehicle. In some examples, the source of the one or more weather devices is determined at least in part, via a vehicle onboard navigation system.
In this way, an outside air temperature sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, an external humidity sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, and/or an oxygen sensor may be calibrated throughout the lifetime of the vehicle. By routinely calibrating such sensors, driveability and customer satisfaction may be increased.
The above advantages and other advantages, and features of the present description will be readily apparent from the following Detailed Description when taken alone or in connection with the accompanying drawings.
It should be understood that the summary above is provided to introduce in simplified form a selection of concepts that are further described in the detailed description. It is not meant to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, the scope of which is defined uniquely by the claims that follow the detailed description. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any disadvantages noted above or in any part of this disclosure.